Flour-packing machine.



J. MERRITT.

FLOUR PACKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.18,1908.

Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

J. MERRITT.

FLOUR PACKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 1B. 1908.

Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J. MERRITT.

FLOUR PACKING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 18, 190e.

Patented Feb.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

l W Wa 126.36

TINTE STATES PATENT FFTCFA.

JOSEPH MERRITT, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

FLOUR-PACKING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH MERRrr'r, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State ofConnecticut, have invented a new and useful Flour-Packing Machine, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a machine which is particularly adapted forpacking flour into paper sacks, but which also is serviceable forpacking ground, crushed or whole seeds, cereals, grains, sugar, cement,lampblack, graphite, and other powdered, pulverized, flocculent andgranular substances into flexible and rigid sacks, bags, kegs, barrels,boxes and packages of various forms and sizes made of paper, wovenfabric, wood, metal and other materials.

The object of the invention is to provide a comparatively simple,inexpensive and rapidly operating` machine which will deposit and packinto a sack or other receptacle of paper or other material, powdered,pulverized, granular or flocculent substances without causing duringfilling, what is technically known as boiling, that is, the flowing orblowing of some of the substance being packed out of the top of thereceptacle as a result of the outflow and escape of air forced from anddisplaced by the substance as it is packed, and without causing what isknow as collapse and flufiing, that is, without causing the receptacleto collapse or contract so that it clings to the filling spout andspills the substance when the receptacle is removed from the spout,which in the prior machines much retards the speed of operation andcauses great waste of the substance, unless the spilled substance isgathered up, which is unsanitary and requires additional labor, besidesfilling the atmosphere with dust, which is disagreeable and unhealthyfor 'the operative and an element of danger to the plant.

The present invention resides in a machine having means for depositingand packing a powdered, pulverized, flocculent or granular substance ina paper sack or other receptacle, and means which allows the readyoutflow of the air forced from and displaced by the substance as it ispacked into the receptacle so as to eliminate boiling and provides forthe free inflow of air when the receptacle and packing apparatusSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 18, 1908.

Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

serial No. 449,009.

are separated, so as to provide against collapse and eliminate fluflingFigure 1 of the accompanying drawingsv shows a front elevation of amachine which embodies this invention with a sack in filling position.Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of the same machine without a sack. Fig. 3shows a central vertical section on somewhat larger scale, of a sack andthe packing means. Fig. 4 shows a similar section of a sack and apacking means provided with a modified form of air duct for theprevention of boiling and flufling Fig. 5 is a sectional viewillustrating the flow of flour at the beginning of packing into a sackby the prior form of packing machine. Fig. 6 is a sectional viewillustrating the boiling action of flour being packed by the priormachine. Fig. 7 is a section illustrating the laction caused by theprior machine known as collapse of the sack and fluffing7 of the flourwhen the sack commences to be withdrawn from the packing spout. Fig. Sis a section illustrating the same action when the sack is nearlywithdrawn from the packing spout. Fig. 9 is a sectional viewillustrating the flow of flour when a sack is beginning to be packed bya machine which embodies this invention. Fig. 10 is a similar viewshowing the action when the sack is partly filled. F ig. 11 is a similarview when the sack is substantially filled. Fig. l2 is a similar viewshowing the action when the sack is completely filled and is beingseparated from the packing spout. F ig. 13 shows a modified form ofpacking worm. And Fig. 14 shows a central vertical section of themodified form of packing worm shown in Fig. 13.

The frame of the machine shown has upright supports l which may be madeof wood or metal as desired, and movable vertically between thesesupports is a gate 2 which is provided with a platform 3, upon which thesack l or other receptacle to be filled is placed. The gate whichcarries this platform is guided in its movements up and down by wheels 5which travel between the upright supports on each side, as shown in Fig.2. ter-balancing weight 6 by a rope or cable 7 which is wound around apulley 8 that is fastened on a horizontal shaft 9 mounted in bearingssecured to the frame uprights.

This gate is connected with a coun-- The weight of this counter-balanceis sufiicient to cause the gate and platform with an empty sack, whennot otherwise held, to be lifted so the lling spout will project intothe sack.

Fastened on the shaft bearing the counterbalance pulley is a drum 10about which passes a friction band 11 that is connected with the arm 12of a lever 13, movable along which is a friction weight 14. Under normalconditions the friction band is drawn by its lever and weightsufficiently tight to bind the drum and hold the shaft andcounterbalance pulley so that the counter-balance weight will not liftthe gate and platform, in fact the friction and counter-balance weightare sufiicient to support the gate, platform and a filled sack on theplatform. A rod 15 connects an end of the friction lever with a treadle16 that is mounted near the floor convenient to the foot of theoperative. This connection is so made that when the treadle is depressedthe friction band is loosened and the drum released so that thecounter-balance weight will raise the gate and platform with an emptysack.

Mounted at the top of the frame is a hopper 17 into which the Hour orother substance to be packed into the sack or other package is allowedto flow. This hopper may be formed of galvanized iron or any othersuitable material, and attached to its lower end is an outlet which hasa tapering head 18 and preferably a cylindrical spout 19 that is alittle smaller in diameter than the sack to be filled. This spout may beany convenient length, and in fact could be omitted if desired. When theplatform is raised by the counter-balance the upper edge of the sack orother receptacle may be enn gaged with the tapering head of the outletfrom the hopper so that the mouth is closed, but it is preferred toleave the mouth of the receptacle open for the escape of air, which,with the resent invention is accomplished without b owing out any of thesubstance being filled.

Supported vertically by bearings 20 at the top of the frame is a shaft21 which is provided with a bevel gear 22, in mesh with which is a bevelgear 23 on a shaft 24: that is supported horizontally by bearings 25secured to the top of the frame. Loosely mounted on the horizontal shaftis a driving pulley 26 which is adapted to be connected with the shaftby means of a clutch 27. This clutch is designed to be actuated forconnecting and releasing the driving pulley with the horizontal shaft bya lever 28 that is pivoted to the top of the frame and that is swungback and forth by a toggle 29 which is opened and closed by a rod 30.This rod is raised by a spring 31 and is drawn down by the foot treadlewith whichthe rod is connected by a chain 32. When the treadle isdepressed, the rod is drawn down, the toggle straightened, and theclutch lever moved sidewise so as to cause the clutch to connect thehorizontal shaft with the driving pulley, and then of course by thismechanism the vertical shaft is rotated. (Fig. 1). The chain whichconnects the clutch rod with the treadle is so connected with a rockerarm 33 that it tends to pull the lower end of the rod sidewise whendrawn downward. Near the lower end the rod is provided with a shoulder34 which when engaged with a lug 35 on the frame holds the rod in itslowest position. Adjustably attached to the platform gate is an arm 36provided with a roll 37, which roll when the gate reaches the lowestdesired position engages the shoulder and pushes the lower end of therod so as to disengage the shoulder from the catch lug and allow thespring to draw the rod up and bend the toggle and so swing the clutchlever that the clutch releases the horizontal shaft from the drivingpulley (Fig. 1).

In one form of the invention illustrated the vertical driving shaft istubular, and coupled to the lower end of the driving shaft is a tubularshaft 38 provided with a screw or worm conveyer 39 which isapproximately the diameter of the cylindrical outlet spout. lhen theclutch is thrown in and the vertical shaftis rotated, the worm forcesflour or other substance from the outlet spout and packs it into thesack on the platform beneath. As the flour is packed into the sack bythis means the platform is forced downwardly until the sack is filled tothe desired level, the counterbalance weight and friction being adjustedto permit this, then the arm on the gate engages the shoulder on theclutch rod and causes the clutch to release the driving mechanism. Afterthis the friction band is released from the friction pulley by liftingthe friction lever, and the weight of the platform and the flour in thesack being sufficient causes the platform and sack to descend from thepacking apparatus so that the packed sack can be removed. If desired,the platform Could be stationary and the fillingv spout made movable forthe purpose of permitting the removal of a packed sack.

Such substances as flour carry a rather large quantity of air as theyflow down through a packer, and as the substances are packed into thesacks solidly this air is displaced and expelled. In the prior machinesof this type now in use, as the substance is packed in the sack the airthat is expelled escapes around the' outside of the "filling spout, andin thus escaping carries light particles of the substance up around theoutside of the filling spout' as indicated in Fig. 5, and fills thisspace in the -sack around the spout faster than the main body of thesack. Vhen the space outside of the spout becomes full the substanceoverflows, or as it is termed boils out, as illustrated in Fig. G, andbecomes wasted unless it is gathered from the floor, which is anuncleanly act and takes time and labor. Furthermore, when a sack isdropped from the filling spout of the prior machine, the substance inthe space about the spout forms a packing and a suction results whichcauses the sides of the sack to collapse so that it closes againstandclings to the spout, with the result that the sack drops slowly andthe substance in the space above the collapsed portion is drawn up asthe sack descends and overflows its mouth, as indicated in Fig. 7. Thisforms a packing about the mouth of the spout so that the continueddescent of the filled sack is slow and quite a little of the substanceoverflows, or as it is termed, fluffs out and is wasted, as indicated inFigs. 7 and 8.

In a packing machine provided with my improvement, the air which isexpelled from the inflowing substance as it is packed, from thebeginning, as indicated :in Fig. 9 can flow upwardly through the hollowshaft so that it doesI not cause the substance to fill the space aboutthe outside. of the spout and overflow or boil and waste. This effectcontinues, as indicated in Fig. 10, until the sack is filled to thedesired level. Vhen the sack is dropped from the filling spout, airflows inwardly through the hollow shaft, as indicated. in Figs. 1l and12 until the level of the substance in the sack is below the mouth ofthe spout. This relieves all suction and eliminates any tendency of thesack to collapse and the substance to fluff draw or blow out of themouth of the sack and become wasted, as it is removed from the spout.

In the form shown in Fig. 4 a duct 40 for the outflow of air expelledwhen the sack is packed is provided by arranging a tubular casing 4labout the filling spout 42. Vith this arrangement the shaft 4B with theworm 44 may or may not be solid for air can pass upwardly between thecasing and the spout, when the substance is being packed into the sack45, and downwardly when the sack is being removed from the spout.

If desired, as indicated in Figs. 13 and 14, the worm 46 may be madehollow and the upper end of the hollow worm connected with a hollow orsolid shaft to provide for the outflow of air and thus eliminateboiling, and for the inflow of air to eliminate flufling The inventionclaimed is:

l. A packing machine having a filling spout, a tubular shaft extendinginto the spout and open at its lower end at the bottom of the spoilt andat its upper end above the top of the spout, whereby a free flow of airis permitted through the shaft to and from the bottom of the spout,means for holding said shaft from longitudinal movement, a gear mountedon the tubular air shaft for rotating said shaft, and a packing wormmounted on said shaft in said spout.

2. A packing machine having a platform for supporting a sack, a fillingspout, a tubular shaft extending into the spout and open at its lowerend at the bottom of the spout and at its upper end above the top of thespout, whereby a free flow of air is permitted through the shaft to andfrom the bottom of the spout, means for holding said shaft fromlongitudinal movement, a gear mounted on the tubular air shaft forrotating said shaft, and a acking worm mounted on said shaft in saitspout.

3. A packing machine having a vertically movable platform for supportinga sack, means for elevating said platform, a filling spout located abovethe platform, a tubular shaft extending into the spout and open at itslower end at the bottom of the spout and at its upper end above the topof the spout, whereby a free flow of air is permitted through the shaftto and from the bottom of the spout, means for holding said shaft fromlongitudinal movement, a gear mounted on said tubular air shaft forrotating said shaft, and a packing worm mounted on said shaft in saidspout.

4. A packing machine having a vertically movable platform, acounter-balance connected with the platform and adapted to resist thedownward movement of the plat* form while the receptacle thereon isbeing packed, a filling spout above the platform, a tubular shaftextending into the spout and open at its lower end at the bottom of thespout and at its upper end above the top of the spout, whereby a freeflow of air is permitted through the shaft to and from the bottom of thespout, means for holding said shaft from longitudinal movement, a gearmounted on the tubular air shaft for rotating said shaft, and a packingworm mounted on said shaft in said spout.

5. A packing machine having a filling spout, a tubular shaft extendinginto the spout and opening at its lower end into the spout, and at itsupper end above the top of the spout, whereby a free flow of air ispermitted through the shaft to and from the spout, means for holdingAsaid shaftfrom longitudinal movement, means mounted on the tubular airshaft whereby said shaft may be rotated, and a packing worm removablyattached to said shaft without obstructing the air passage therethrough.

JOSEPH MERRITT. 7Witnesses D. B. VESTIN, CHARLES H. S'ronns.

